." >> susie: a parade of business leaders in washington today to persuade president obama and congress to avoid the fiscal cliff. with just 33 days left to nail down a deal, c.e.o.s made the rounds to explain to lawmakers that because of cliff gridlock, they're holding back on hiring and spending. as darren gersh reports, c.e.o.s weren't the only ones campaigning hard today. >> reporter: the president and republicans focused today on staging events designed to pressure the other side. the president called on americans to tweet, facebook and call members of congress to tell them to pass tax cuts for everyone making less that $250,000 a year. >> 97% of small businesses would not see their income tax go up by a single dime. even the wealthiest americans would still get a tax cut on the first $250,000 of their income. >> reporter: the speaker dismissed a call from a fellow republican to give the president what he wants, saying it's not good economics to raise tax rates on small businesses. >> going over the fiscal cliff will hurt our economy and hurt job creation in our country. this is no